Just 4 ingredients to make these oat flour peanut butter cookies, a healthier Christmas cookie everyone will enjoy! Easy to make gluten-free and made with less sugar, each cookie is less than 100 calories! Deliciously chewy, with crispy edges, and bursting with peanut butter flavor!
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Do healthy Christmas cookies exist? I'm not sure a healthy Christmas cookie does exist but I do know that a healthier or healthy-ish version does (think just 4 ingredients and less sugar) - these oat flour cookies!
If you want to keep Christmas baking on the lighter side this year, or you just crave some healthy Christmas cookies, make this batch ASAP.
I've got a ton of cookie recipes you need to try and a few other Christmas treats like Muddy Buddies, Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies, and Ginger Loaf Bread that are so simple and easy to bake!
Baking oat flour cookies and desserts is one of my favorite things to do recently - check out my oat flour brownies and you'll see what I mean! Or try a no-bake dessert like my oat flour cookie dough or almond flour no-bake cheesecake.
Why This is the Best of the Oat Flour Cookie Recipes
- Gluten-free, low-calorie, no added oils, no butter (dairy free!), and less sugar than traditional cookie recipes (make sure your ingredients are certified gluten-free if that’s a concern.)
- No fancy equipment - no electric mixer needed!
- Chewy texture and exploding with peanut butter goodness!
- Great recipe for a sweet treat with more protein than the usual cookie. Each cookie has 3 grams of protein!
- Super simple ingredients, easy to make, and you probably already have the 4 ingredients on hand!
Ingredients For These Healthy Cookies
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Dry Ingredients
Oat Flour: Gluten-free oat flour is a perfect whole-grain flour to use in baking (just like in these oat flour pancakes). It helps to keep the cookies together.
You can purchase store-bought oat flour on Amazon or at the grocery store, or make your own homemade oat flour using quick oats, steel cut oats, or rolled oats and a food processor or high-speed blender.
All-purpose flour, gf flour, or wheat flour may be used.
Wet Ingredients
Coconut Sugar: Swap out coconut sugar for maple syrup, honey, white sugar, or light brown sugar.
Peanut Butter: I recommend using an all-natural, creamy version. Swap out peanut butter for any other nut butter you prefer. Almond butter can be used or use sunflower butter to make these with no nuts.
Egg: Eggs provide the binding to keep these oat flour cookies together. Make these vegan or eggless by swapping out eggs for a flax egg.
How to Make The Best Oat Flour Cookies
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Mix up all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2
Roll out 24 cookie dough balls using a small cookie scoop.
Step 3
Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 6-8 minutes and until golden brown. Allow them to cool on a cooling rack before eating.
Expert Tips for Baking These Delicious Cookies
- If using all-natural peanut butter (rather than Skippy or Jif) be sure that the oil that is on top of the jar when opened is stirred completely in and that the texture is consistent.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Cookies may also be frozen by placing cooled, baked cookies in a freezer-safe container and freezing for up to 3 months.
- To make oat flour cookie bars, press cookie dough into an 8X8 glass baking dish lined with parchment paper. Once oat flour cookie bars have been baked and cooled, cut them into bars.
- Customizations: add in mini dark chocolate chips or mashed banana. If you are adding banana, increase the amount of oatmeal flour a bit so the cookie dough is not too runny.
Recipe FAQs
I haven't tried making these with almond flour but the base of the cookie is peanut butter, not flour so I would say you could try swapping for almond flour with minimal changes. I would not suggest using coconut flour.
Yes. The original recipe was a flourless 3-ingredient version. You can make it that way with no flour, or you can bake the cookies using oatmeal flour. I like the stability and texture the flour gives the cookies.
Related Recipes
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Oat Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup oat flour gluten-free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with coconut oil spray.
- Combine ingredients until smooth.1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, 1 cup coconut sugar, ¼ cup oat flour
- Scoop out cookies with a small cookie scoop onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes and do not overbake.
Notes
- If using all-natural peanut butter (rather than Skippy or Jif) be sure that the oil that is on top of the jar when opened is stirred completely in and the texture is consistent.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Cookies may also be frozen by placing cooled, baked cookies in a freezer-safe container and freezing for up to 3 months.
- Customizations: add in mini chocolate chips or mashed banana. If adding banana, up the oatmeal flour a bit so the cookie dough is not too runny. You could also swap in any other nut butter you prefer - almond would be great or you could try sunflower butter if you want to make these with no nuts.
Michaela Ben-Sorek
Love it!! Made it with 3/4 c coconut sugar, added chocolate chunks and sprinkled salt on top. Finished the batch within a couple days!!
Lyndsey
chocolate chunks and salt sound amazing!! thanks for your review Michaela!
nina
We made quite a few different types of cookies for our Christmas spread, and these were by FAR the most popular with everyone! Shocking to me as they are so simple-- but deceptively so, as they are so delicious! I did add a bit of cinnamon and almond extract at the request of my daughter. This recipe is a keeper and I'm making them again today! 🙂
Lyndsey
Thanks Nina! I'm so glad your family loved them.
Kathy
I'd like to try these. Is that really only 1/4 cup of oat flour per batch?
Lyndsey
yep that's right! generally peanut butter cookies have just a little bit of flour to keep them together and oat flour tends to be a bit more absorbant than all purpose so that is why it's only 1/4 cup.
Megan O'Kane
Wow quick and easy ! I might have to make these for my family over Christmas!
mommafitpgh@gmail.com
thanks for checking it out!! I hope they love them!